"Three Little Birds" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bob Marley and the Wailers | ||||
from the album Exodus | ||||
B-side | "Every Need Got an Ego to Feed" | |||
Released | 29 August 1980 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1977 | |||
Genre | Roots reggae | |||
Length | 3:01 | |||
Label | Tuff Gong | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Marley | |||
Producer(s) | Bob Marley and the Wailers | |||
Bob Marley and the Wailers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Three Little Birds" on YouTube |
"Three Little Birds" is a song by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It is the fourth track on side two of their 1977 album Exodus and was released as a single in 1980. The song reached the Top 20 in the UK, peaking at number 17. [2] It is one of Marley's most popular songs and has been covered by numerous other artists. The song is often thought to be named "Don't Worry About a Thing" or "Every Little Thing is Gonna Be Alright", because of the prominent and repeated use of these phrases in the chorus.
The source of Marley's inspiration for the lyrics of "Three Little Birds" remains disputed. Some believe Marley was using birds as a metaphor for the way Jamaicans had to grow cannabis. Some believe the lyrics are partly inspired by birds that Marley was fond of that used to fly and sit next to his home. [3] Tony Gilbert, a long time friend of Marley, was present at the time he was writing the song and elaborated, "Bob got inspired by a lot of things around him, he observed life. I remember the three little birds. They were pretty birds, canaries, who would come by the windowsill at Hope Road." [3] However, three female singers from the reggae group I Threes who did shows with Marley claim it is a reference to them. [3] I Threes member Marcia Griffiths remarked, "After the song was written, Bob would always refer to us as the Three Little Birds. After a show, there would be an encore, sometimes people even wanted us to go back onstage four times. Bob would still want to go back and he would say, 'What is my Three Little Birds saying?'" [3]
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
---|---|
Germany (GfK) [5] | 49 |
Spain (AFYVE) [6] | 3 |
UK Singles (OCC) [7] | 17 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [8] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [9] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [10] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [11] sales since 2009 | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [12] | 5× Platinum | 150,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [13] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [14] sales since 2004 | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Three Little Birds" | |
---|---|
Single by Monty Alexander | |
from the album Stir it up - The Music of Bob Marley | |
Released | 25 September 1999 |
Genre | Jazz, Reggae |
Label | Telarc International Corporation |
Songwriter(s) | Bob Marley |
Monty Alexander recorded a cover of "Three Little Birds" in January 1992 and, in 1999, he released it as a hit single. The cover was also produced by him and, unlike the original, the Monty Alexander version is very Jazz-heavy.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Three Little Birds" | Bob Marley | 3:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
2. | "Could You Be Loved" | Bob Marley | 2:50 |
"Three Little Birds" | |
---|---|
Single by Connie Talbot | |
from the album Over the Rainbow | |
B-side | "You Raise Me Up" |
Released | 10 June 2008 |
Genre | Reggae |
Length | 3:08 |
Label | Rainbow Recording Company |
Songwriter(s) | Bob Marley |
Producer(s) | Simon Hill and Rob May |
Music video | |
Three Little Birds on YouTube |
"Three Little Birds" was released as the first single by British child singer Connie Talbot on 10 June 2008. It was taken from the 2008 re-release of her 2007 album, Over the Rainbow . Talbot released a music video to publicise the single, which was filmed in Jamaica. The release reached number 3 on the UK Independent Singles Chart, and number 1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart in the United States.
After rising to fame on the first series of Britain's Got Talent , Talbot signed with Rainbow Recording Company and began production of her debut album, Over the Rainbow . The album initially featured several Christmas themed songs, and the first single, "Over the Rainbow"/"White Christmas", was planned be released on 3 December 2007.[ citation needed ] The single was then cancelled in favour of an album-first release. [15] The album was rereleased with more general tracks to replace the Christmas songs, and one of the new tracks was a cover of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds". [16] The songs on the album were chosen with collaboration between Talbot and her management; first Talbot and her family wrote "a list of the songs that Connie would sing at her birthday party", and the management then thought "long and hard" about including the more adult songs, including "I Will Always Love You", but Talbot herself insisted. [17] The album was recorded in a bedroom studio, nicknamed "the hut". [18]
"Three Little Birds" was released as Talbot's first single on 10 June 2008 in the UK, [19] and released alongside the album in the U.S. on 14 October. [20] Rashvin Bedi, writing for Malaysian newspaper The Star , said that "Three Little Birds" was her favourite song on Over the Rainbow. [21] The single peaked at number 3 on the Independent Singles Charts in the United Kingdom, [22] and entered the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart at number 2, dropping to 3 the next week. [23] It then rose back to number 2, and, on the sixth week, reached number 1. [24] Talbot received attention from the British press because of the single's success, with the Daily Telegraph attributing her success in America to her appeal to the Christian market. [25] [26] As of November 2008, the single has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide. [27]
The music video for the single was released on 19 June 2008. [28] It was shot in Jamaica in late March/early April 2008. [29]
The video begins with images of Talbot skipping through a garden, which is then replaced with an image of her singing on a beach. She then joins a child whose parents had been arguing and plays with them and others in a field, then dances with them on the beach. The children are then led to a stage, where Talbot performs as the others sing and play musical instruments. The video closes with Talbot in the garden, skipping away from the camera.
Chart | Country | Peak | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Independent Singles Charts | United Kingdom | 3 | 20 June 2008 |
Hot Singles Sales | United States | 1 | 27 November 2008 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Three Little Birds" | Bob Marley | Bob Marley | 3:08 |
2. | "You Raise Me Up" | Brendan Graham | Rolf Løvland | 4:04 |
Uprising is the twelfth studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers and the final studio album released during Marley's lifetime. Released on 10 June 1980, the album is one of Marley's most directly religious, with nearly every song referencing his Rastafarian beliefs, culminating in the acoustic recording of "Redemption Song".
Exodus is the ninth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, first released in June 1977 through Island Records, following Rastaman Vibration (1976). The album's production has been characterized as laid-back with pulsating bass beats and an emphasis on piano, trumpet and guitar. Unlike previous albums from the band, Exodus thematically moves away from cryptic story-telling; instead it revolves around themes of change, religious politics, and sexuality. The album is split into two halves: the first half revolves around religious politics, while the second half is focused on themes of making love and keeping faith.
Rastaman Vibration is the eighth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in April 1976.
"No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song performed by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The song was recorded in 1974 and released on the studio album Natty Dread.
"I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band the Wailers.
Legend is a compilation album by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released on 7 May 1984 by Island Records. It is a greatest hits collection of singles in its original vinyl format and is the best-selling reggae album of all-time, with more than 18 million copies sold in the US, more than 3.3 million in the UK and an estimated 25 million copies sold globally. In 2003, the album was ranked number 46 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and maintained the ranking in a 2012 revised list.
"Sun Is Shining" is a song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley & the Wailers, first appearing on the Lee Perry-produced album Soul Revolution Part II in 1971, and then on African Herbsman in 1973. Marley later re-recorded the song for his 1978 album Kaya. In 1999, a remix by "Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe" reached number one on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and number three on the UK Singles Chart.
Most of Bob Marley's early music was recorded with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, who together with Marley were the most prominent members of the Wailers. In 1972, the Wailers had their first hit outside Jamaica when Johnny Nash covered their song "Stir It Up", which became a UK hit. The 1973 album Catch a Fire was released worldwide, and sold well. It was followed by Burnin', which included the song "I Shot the Sheriff". Eric Clapton's cover of the song became a hit in 1974.
"Is This Love" is a song by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released on their 1978 album Kaya. The song became one of the best-known Marley songs and was part of the Legend compilation. It peaked at number 9 in the UK charts upon its release in 1978. A live rendition of the song can be found on the Babylon by Bus live album from Paris in 1978.
Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers were a Jamaican-American reggae family group whose line-up consisted of the children of musicians, Bob Marley and Rita Marley, which includes lead singer Ziggy Marley with Sharon Marley, Cedella Marley, and Stephen Marley. Formed in 1979 in Brooklyn, New York, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers members began their musical endeavours in their pre-teens under the name the Melody Makers.
"One Love" is a ska song written by Bob Marley and recorded by his group the Wailers from their 1965 debut studio album The Wailing Wailers. It was rerecorded as part of the 1970 medley "All in One", which contained reggae reworkings of their early ska songs. This was released as a single and is also included on the compilation African Herbsman under the name "All in One".
Over the Rainbow is the debut album of child singer Connie Talbot, and was released 26 November 2007 by Rainbow Recording Company. Talbot, who had entered the public eye after her appearance on the first series of Britain's Got Talent at age six, signed with Rainbow, an independent label, after briefly recording with Sony BMG. Over the Rainbow consists entirely of covers of pop and Christmas songs, and was recorded primarily in a spare room in the house of Talbot's aunt, in an attempt not to interrupt Talbot's childhood by disrupting her regular activities. Although public appearances were initially kept to a minimum, Talbot did make appearances to promote the album, and performed in public several times after the British release.
"Waiting in Vain" is a song written by reggae musician Bob Marley and recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers, for their 1977 album Exodus. Released as a single, it reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Could You Be Loved" is a 1980 song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released as the first single from their twelfth and last album, Uprising (1980), and is also included on their greatest-hits album Legend (1984). It was written in 1979 on an aeroplane while The Wailers were experimenting on guitar. In the middle of the song, background singers quote a verse from Bob Marley's first single "Judge Not": "The road of life is rocky; And you may stumble too. So while you point your fingers, someone else is judging you". Instruments used on the original record of this song are guitars, bass, drums, acoustic piano, the Hohner Clavinet and an organ, as well as the Brazilian cuíca. "Could You be Loved" was very successful on the charts in Europe, peaking within the top 10 in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Sweden and West Germany.
Connie Victoria Elizabeth Talbot is a British singer who was the runner-up of the first series of Britain's Got Talent in 2007. She then signed with Rainbow Recording Company and released her debut album Over the Rainbow on 26 November 2007, which has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide and reached number one in three countries.
"Iron Lion Zion" is a song written and recorded in April 1973 or 1974 by Jamaican singer and songwriter Bob Marley. It was first released posthumously on 7 September 1992 on the Songs of Freedom box set, reaching number five in the UK Singles Chart. The single also peaked within the top 10 in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Iron Lion Zion" peaked at number eight. Outside Europe, it reached number two in New Zealand, number 71 in Australia and number 11 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. A remixed version was released as a single and later included in 1995 on Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On.
"Turn Your Lights Down Low" is a song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers from their 1977 album, Exodus. It is the only song on side B of the album that was not released as a single. However, a remastered version featuring Lauryn Hill was released in 1999. The duet was commercially successful, peaking at number one on the UK R&B Chart while topping the charts in New Zealand and Romania. It received a nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 43rd Grammy Awards.
The Song We Fell in Love To is the twenty-seventh solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in March 1976 on Columbia Records. The album contained ten tracks of material crafted in a country pop style that featured overdubbed vocal harmonies by Smith herself. Two singles were included on the project: the title track and a cover of The Everly Brothers's "(Till) I Kissed You". The latter single became Smith's first top ten American single in several years. The album itself peaked in the top 40 of the American Country LP's chart in 1976.
"Exodus" is a song written by reggae musician Bob Marley and recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers, for the Exodus (1977) album. Released as a single, it reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. "Exodus" was Marley's first single to receive widespread airplay on black radio stations in the US, expanding the artist's predominantly white college age and Caribbean expats fanbase in the country.
Skip Marley Minto is a Jamaican singer. He is the son of Cedella Marley and David Minto, and grandson of Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He has received two Grammy Award nominations and an MTV Video Music Award nomination.
Footnotes
Bibliography